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Animal Birthday Cakes and Cupcakes for Kids from Better Homes and Gardens

Animal Birthday Cakes and Cupcakes for Kids

Go a little wild! Throw an animal-theme birthday party for your child. These birthday cakes and cupcakes are designed to please animal lovers with dogs, cats, an elephant, an octopus, monkeys, bears, and a menagerie of kids' favorites. Start with a purchased cake or cupcake, or use our recipes to bake one from scratch.

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Pink Poodle Cupcakes

A sweet pink puppy will be a charming birthday treat. It's surprisingly easy to create with frosting, chewy candies, marshmallows, and a few decorating details.

1. Using a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip, pipe pink decorating frosting in spikes onto a cupcake. Slice a large marshmallow crosswise into four pieces; place two pieces side by side on the center of the cupcake, pushing gently into frosting; use a dot of frosting to attach a tiny pink marshmallow for a nose.

2. Place a pink chewy fruit-flavor square candy on waxed paper. Microwave on 100 percent power for 5 to 10 seconds or until softened. Cut candy in half and shape each piece into a long oval ear. When firm, attach ears to cupcake.

3. Cut a white tiny marshmallow crosswise in half and press into cupcake for eyes. Top each eye with a miniature chocolate piece; attach with white frosting. Add a heart-shape candy for a mouth, and sprinkle the large marshmallow pieces with pink decorating sugar.

Tabby Cat Cupcakes

Your guests will purr with delight at these birthday masterpieces. This kitty cat design can also be adapted to mimic the color and markings of your favorite pet.

1. Place yellow decorating frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a small star tip. Pipe frosting in spikes onto a cupcake.

2. Slice a large marshmallow crosswise into four pieces; place two pieces side by side on the center of the cupcake, pushing gently into frosting; use a dot of frosting to add a pink tiny marshmallow for a nose. Attach licorice whiskers with white frosting.

3. Cut a marshmallow slice into triangles; use frosting to attach two marshmallow triangles to the top of the cupcake for ears. Add red miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces for eyes and a mouth.

Elephant Cupcakes

Little ones will never forget a birthday celebrated with a herd of funny homemade elephant cupcakes.

1. Frost a cupcake with gray decorating frosting. Pipe white frosting for eyes (or use a tiny marshmallow half for each eye) and top with a dot of black icing.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave some gray frosting on 100 percent power for 10 seconds or until melted. Trim a gummy worm to size for a trunk (if they're too long, they may be too heavy to stick). Dip gummy worm in melted gray frosting, letting excess drip off. Place on waxed paper.

4. For pink on elephant ears, microwave a pink chewy fruit-flavor square candy about 7 seconds and flatten. Using a pretzel as a guide, cut outlines from candy. Press candy outlines into frosting on back of each pretzel. Place on waxed paper.

Tropical Fish Birthday Cake

Straight from the big blue ocean, this sweet and colorful fish goes swimmingly with any birthday celebration. If you'd like, adjust the colors to match your child's favorite finned friends.

1. Using a serrated knife, cut the corners off a 13×9-inch cake, creating a curved edge and leaving an oval-shape piece. Place the oval cake on a large flat tray. Position corner pieces to create a top fin, bottom fin, and tail.

2. Fill a pastry bag with orange decorating frosting. Using a large star tip, cover the oval piece with orange frosting, leaving a space for the fin on the center of cake.

3. Fill a clean pastry bag with yellow decorating frosting and attach a small round tip. Apply frosting in zigzag lines to cover the fins, the open fin space on the body, and the tail. Make lips with yellow frosting.

4. For eye, cut the tip off a chocolate kiss; position on cake upside down with a small amount of frosting. Apply small strips of untinted frosting around the fin on the body.

Sea Turtle Cupcakes

These turtles are so delightful they'll be an endangered species at your child's birthday party. Don't worry. It's easy to repopulate with a new nest of these cute creatures.

1. Place blue and green decorating frostings in separate resealable plastic bags and snip off a small piece from one corner of each bag. Pipe small mounds of frosting onto cupcakes, alternating colors. Use a thin metal spatula to swirl colors together.

2. Sprinkle brown sugar on the tops of the cupcakes. Split round vanilla sandwich cookies; discard filling. Place a cookie half on the center of each brown sugar-topped cupcake.

3. Halve green gumdrops lengthwise. Tuck five gumdrop halves under the edge of each cookie half for a head and four feet. (If necessary, flatten the gumdrop halves.)

4. For eyes, place two candy-coated milk chocolate pieces on cupcake top; pipe a white frosting dot on each and top with miniature semisweet chocolate pieces. Pipe chocolate frosting for mouth and nose.

Butterfly Birthday Cupcakes

Bring the glowing colors of a butterfly's wings inside. You can mix and match colors to create unique patterns in your child's favorite combinations. Or match colors to the birthday party theme.

1. Frost cupcakes in desired colors.

2. Place pairs of regular-size pretzel twists on waxed paper. Place red, orange, white, yellow, or desired-color candy coating disks in separate microwave-safe bowls; microwave, one bowl at a time, on 100 percent power (high) for 30 seconds. Stir; microwave for 20 to 30 seconds more or until melted.

3. Place each color in a separate pastry bag fitted with a round tip or in a heavy resealable plastic bag. Snip off a corner from each plastic bag.

4. For pretzel wings, pipe different colors of candy coating into the spaces in the pretzels until filled, decorating each pretzel pair the same way. Let pretzel wings stand until firm.

5. Carefully peel wings from waxed paper. Insert a pair of wings into the frosting on top of each cupcake in a V shape.

6. Place a piece of rainbow-color licorice between each pair of wings for the body. Add a gumdrop head. Add black shoestring licorice for antennae. Pipe on eyes and nose with black frosting.

Octopus Birthday Cake

Your child will dive into this deep-sea dream. The cake is baked in a basic 6-inch bowl and a round cake pan, and even the eight legs are easy to create using individual snack cakes flipped on their tops.

3. Place cake-pan layer on a large platter. Spread yellow decorating frosting over layer. Place layer from bowl on top. Frost entire cake with yellow frosting.

4. Attach eight oblong creme-filled sponge cakes to sides of cake to resemble tentacles. Tint a small amount of decorating frosting blue. Using a writing tip, pipe blue frosting in circles all over cake and sponge cakes.

5. For eyes, attach small chocolate-covered mint candies to cake using frosting. Pipe a dot of frosting in center of each candy.

Fishbowl Birthday Cake

Forgetting to feed these fish is no problem. Your only worry is someone taking a bite out of this bowl before the birthday candles are lit.

1. Start with two 8-inch round layer cakes. Place one cake layer flat side up on a work surface. Spread about 1/2 cup light blue decorating frosting over top. Top with second cake layer, flat side down.

2. Cut a 1-inch slice from one edge of cake to form the bottom of fishbowl. Cut a thin slice on opposite edge of cake to form top of fishbowl. Carefully set cake with bottom of fishbowl down on a serving plate.

3. Spread blue frosting over cake. While frosting is still wet, press pebblelike candies, such as Nerds, into frosting around bottom of cake.

4. Place peach-color decorating frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a medium rose tip. Pipe an oval shape for each fish body. Make little ruffles for fish tails and fins. Place light blue decorating frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a zigzag border at top of fishbowl. Attach a small round tip to pastry bag and pipe stripes on fish. Use blue piping gel to pipe bubbles above fish.

3. Slice a large marshmallow crosswise into four pieces; place two pieces side by side on the center of cupcake, pushing gently into frosting; use a dot of frosting to add a white tiny marshmallow for a nose. Attach shoestring licorice whiskers with white frosting. Add blue miniature candy-coated chocolate pieces for eyes. Pipe small chocolate spots on the large marshmallows.

4. Place a log-shape chocolate caramel candy (such as Tootsie Roll) and a pink chewy fruit-flavor candy square on waxed paper. Microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 5 to 10 seconds or until softened. Mold the pink candy into a tongue shape, cutting off excess, if necessary. When cool and firm, attach to cupcake below nose, securing with frosting, if necessary.

5. Cut the chocolate candy in half; mold each half into a long, oval floppy ear. When firm, attach ears to cupcake, securing with frosting.

Monkey Cake

Go ahead. Monkey around. This smiling primate seems to have finished off a banana and is waiting for the birthday party to start.

1. Invert a round 8-inch cake layer onto a serving plate. In a small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup white frosting and 2 tablespoons peanut butter. Use the mixture to frost the top center of the cake in the shape of a monkey face.

2. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of chocolate frosting in a resealable plastic bag; set aside. Frost the rest of the cake with chocolate frosting and pat 2 cups chocolate-flavor crisp rice cereal into the chocolate frosting only.

3. Snip a small corner off the plastic bag. Pipe a frosting nose and mouth onto the face. Place two chocolate kisses pointed side down onto the face for eyes.

4. Break a large peanut butter cookie in half and place the halves on each side of the cake for ears.

5. Before serving, peel a banana and brush the peel with lemon juice to prevent browning. Place the peel on plate above the monkey's head.

5. For cat eyes, press a small cutout piece of fruit leather onto each of two white gum balls; press into cake. Add an orange gum ball for the nose. For whiskers, add green licorice twists, trimming as necessary.

6. For mouth, color about 1/3 cup fondant yellow and another 1/3 cup fondant orange. Alternate 2x1/2-inch pieces of colored fondant on waxed paper, placing the pieces close together. Roll out fondant to about 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out a "smile" shape; place on cake.

7. Cover and freeze cake until firm, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. To serve, remove sides and bottom of pan and place cake on a platter.

Chocolate Cat Cupcakes

2. To make eyes, cut a 1/8-inch-thick slice off the larger end of two yellow gumdrops; add a small piece of shoestring licorice to the cut side of each slice. Insert into frosted cupcake.

3. For ears, cut chocolate coating dots into triangle shapes with a paring knife. Insert ears into frosting on cupcake. Cut shoestring licorice into 1-1/2- to 2-inch lengths for whiskers and arrange on cupcake. Pipe a frosting nose.

Editor's Tip: For an all-white version, use white frosting, white chocolate coating dots, and white sprinkles or coconut. If you're feeling adventurous, experiment with both colors to make a spotted cat.

2. Sprinkle a work surface with sugar. Use a rolling pin to flatten large white gumdrops; cut or shape long triangles for ears. Press ends of two gumdrop triangles into the frosting near top of each cupcake. Pipe pink icing for insides of ears.

Little Brown Bear Cupcakes

These brown bear cupcakes are so simple to create, you may want to let the kids do the decorating. Expect some interesting adaptations, but that's part of the fun.

1. Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

2. Insert two small wafer cookies in frosting for ears. Add small white mint candies for eyes; pipe blue icing dots for pupils. Place a red jelly bean or a round red candy for nose. Add red shoestring licorice for the mouth.

Lucky Ladybug Cake

1. Start with two round cake layers. Place one cake layer flat side up on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of white frosting on top. Place second layer, flat side down, on top of frosted layer. Spread red decorating frosting on the sides and top of top cake layer only.

2. Spread green decorating frosting generously on sides of bottom cake layer. While frosting is wet, pull the tines of a fork through frosting so it resembles grass.

3. Use black shoestring licorice and brown candy-coated chocolate pieces to decorate the cake top to look like a ladybug.

4. For each eye, use a dab of frosting to join a white or yellow large and a brown miniature candy-coated chocolate piece. Add licorice eyebrows and mouth.

5. For cupcake border, frost cupcakes with green frosting and top with large decorative daisy candies.

Birthday Cakes and Cupcakes for Girls

Whether you have an athlete or a princess, these cakes and cupcakes will thrill your birthday girl. With creative ideas and simple techniques, cakes and cupcakes are transformed into birthday treats that party guests will adore. These ideas work well with a purchased cake or cupcakes, or bake your cake from scratch using our recipe suggestions.